How do you test the eyes of a 2 year old?

[ilovespinach]

ds has just been referred to the eye clinic at the local hospital. He has a squint in one eye and we have been told it is likely he will need glasses and eventual patching. We have already tried several times at the eye dr to get him to look through a big machine to measure his eyes. Unfortunately, he has developed a fear of this machine and won't look through it.

So, we now have to go to the hospital. How on earth do you test the eyesight of a 2 year old who may or (probably) may not want to co-operate.....

At the hospital they will want to put eye drops in to enlarge the pupil so they can see the back of the eye. We had to go through this with DD, but she was nearly 4 at the time. I don't have any advice for you unfortunately, so I hope you gets lots of support at the hospital.

Ds had his eyes tested at the hospital when he was 2. They have special people called orthoptists to to it. No machines. Lots of following moving objects/ fingers, looking at patterns on cards etc. All easy and undemanding for a 2 yo. Don't worry. Very kindly lady too.

We didn't have any eye drops.

Thank you :)

Hopefully it won't be too hard on him. I will take his favorite cuddly toy and car for him to hold.

dd had glasses from 18 months old. We had the same sort of thing as BikeRunSki except dd did get drops when they were assessing her glasses prescription - there were no machines to look into.

She was long sighted with a squint - she is now (age 10) long sighted without a squint (she had patching treatment and then an operation on the squinting eye)

Which hospital did you go to BikeRunSki?

Princess Royal in Huddersfield Bunbaker.

Ds didn't need glasses, maybe eye dtops come at that stage.

Thanks BikeRunSki. We had a very kindly lady as well, but it was in Barnsley. I just wondered if it was the same person.

I think it might be a job that attracts kindly ladies bunbaker!

My DS was tested at two as BikeRunSki has described but with drops. Very relaxed lots of chatter and no machines either.

My daughter had a squint and was first tested at about 18 months old, like other have said, no machines involved. They do thing like hold up squeaky toys, cover an eye and see how well they track the toy moving around.
My DD wasn't suitable for patching and had her squint operated on last year, at 2.5. It's massively improved now, she still needs glasses and may need further treatment in future but it's so good to get it dealt with young.

DS had lots of eye tests, patching, and eventually an op for his squint. Started when he was about 18 months, had surgery when he was 3.5. We also had a lovely lady optometrist and as others have said, there were lots of pictures to look at, sticks with pictures on waved in front of his face, all very low-key and he was fine.

This was over 10 years ago. After the op DS recovered quickly and has had perfect vision ever since. He doesn't remember any of it. Hope you have a similarly successful outcome, OP.

My 18 month old had as described with drops. He saw two different people. The first one showed him cards with eg a boat on it made of dots and she would try and get him to point to it. The second test was more like a normal eye test where he had to put different glasses on. It was ok. My ds didn't need glasses, he was having tests due to a dermoid cyst near his eye.